Turtle Island Native Network invites you to discuss issues related to the legacy of Indian Residential Schools in Canada and Indian Boarding Schools and Mission Schools in the United States. E-Mail us at turtleislandnativenetwork@gmail.com

AFN National Chief Receives Final Report of Truth and Reconciliation Commission, Commits to Working on National Reconciliation Framework to Implement Calls to Action

(Ottawa, ON) – Assembly of First Nations (AFN) National Chief Perry Bellegarde, along with AFN Nova Scotia/Newfoundland Regional Chief Morley Googoo and AFN Québec/Labrador Regional Chief Ghislain Picard, participated today in the release of the final report of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) examining the history and legacy of Indian residential schools in Canada.

“Today marks the conclusion of an historic journey for the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, and I commend all former students who showed courage in sharing their stories,” said AFN National Chief Bellegarde. “We are committing ourselves to the hard work of reconciliation in honour of the former students and for our future generations.”

At today’s event, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau stated that true reconciliation goes beyond the scope of the TRC’s Calls to Action and pledged to work with First Nations, Indigenous leaders, provinces and territories and all key parties to design a national engagement strategy for developing and implementing a national reconciliation framework, informed by the TRC’s recommendations

“First Nations are ready to engage on a National Reconciliation Framework as part of our efforts to give life to real reconciliation,” said National Chief Bellegarde. “It’s up to each and everyone one of us to act now to ensure we never repeat the mistakes of the past and move forward together in partnership. Our work will be guided by our nation-to-nation relationship and the principles of the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. Together, we can close the gap.”

“I acknowledge and thank TRC Chair Justice Murray Sinclair and Commissioners Chief Wilton Littlechild and Dr. Marie Wilson for their work and dedication to truth-seeking and truth-telling,” said National Chief Bellegarde. “They have shared a path to reconciliation, and I invite all Canadians to join us on this journey.”

The AFN is a party to the Indian Residential Schools Settlement Agreement that led to the creation of the TRC. The federal government has committed to working with First Nations and Indigenous peoples to implement the Calls to Action.

The AFN is the national organization representing First Nations citizens in Canada. Follow AFN on Twitter @AFN_Comms, @AFN_Updates.

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ONTARIO REGIONAL CHIEF ISADORE DAY CALLS ON ALL LEVELS OF GOVERNMENT TO FOLLOW ON THEIR COMMITMENTS TO IMPLEMENT THE 94 CALLS TO ACTION AND CANADIAN CITIZENS TO HOLD THEM ACCOUNTABLEBkejwanong Territory -- (Dec 15, 2015) — Ontario Regional Chief Isadore Day is calling on all levels of government and all sectors of society to act upon the 94 Calls to Action made in the Truth and Reconciliation Commission Report released today. The six-volume, 25-lb report on the history and legacy of Canada’s residential school system is the most comprehensive chronicle of a painful history that continues to haunt Indigenous peoples today.

“Today’s report presents the largest challenge in Canada’s history. All levels of government and all sectors of society, must meet that challenge,” said Ontario Regional Chief Day. “Everyone must work together in the spirit of reconciliation and the ultimate goal of a renewed relationship of equity. As TRC Commissioner Justice Murray Sinclair stated, ‘We owe it to our children to build a Canada with a shared future. A future of healing and of trust.’”

Last week, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau joined First Nations leaders who gathered in Gatineau for the Assembly of First Nations Special Chiefs Assembly. In a speech, he introduced a five-point plan which included implementing the 94 Calls to Action that the Truth and Reconciliation Commission made public in June, and perhaps most notably, restated his commitment to working with governments to fully implement the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.

“The United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) should be used as the minimum standard in building a new relationship between non-Indigenous and Indigenous Nations,” said Regional Chief Day. “This responsibility extends beyond leadership, and perhaps most importantly rests with all Canadian citizens who have a role in keeping federal and provincial leadership accountable in the process of reconciliation, and ensuring these governments hold up to their commitments.”

Bkejwanong/Walpole Island Chief Dan Miskokomon said, “Many of us are looking for closure when it comes to the residential school legacy. The legal process has kept the pain and suffering alive. My brother and grandfather both attended residential schools. Many survivors are still suffering and are ready for the healing process to begin. Residential schools have impacted younger generations, many of whom are stuck in poverty and forced to rely on social assistance. We must all be part of the healing process so that we can move forward. Up until now the focus has been on money. It is my hope that the TRC report will bring some closure and that the healing can begin.”

“We remain optimistic about today’s TRC report and this government’s pledge to implement the recommendations. After all, this government is committed to finally lifting the soon to be 20-year old two per cent funding cap in the 2016 federal budget. Now this government must also commit to a very significant amount of funding in order to reverse current levels of poverty and despair.”

The TRC was established in 2008 as a part of the Indian Residential School Settlement Agreement in order to inform Canadians about the history and legacy of such schools. It wasn’t a federal government initiative. The Indian Residential School Survivors Society successfully sued the government of Canada and the churches that operated its schools. It took six years, and remains the largest class-action lawsuit in Canadian history.

“After so many volumes and so many millions of words, the only thing left is a new chapter,” said Regional Chief Day. “It’s a new beginning. The hard work begins now. Now is the time to secure our rightful place in Canada.”

STATEMENT BY PRIME MINISTER ON RELEASE OF THE FINAL REPORT OF THE TRUTH AND RECONCILIATION COMMISSION

Ottawa, Ontario15 December 2015The Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, issued the following statement after receiving the Final Report of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission:

“The Indian residential school system, one of the darkest chapters in Canadian history, has had a profoundly lasting and damaging impact on Indigenous culture, heritage, and language. As a father and a former teacher, I am overwhelmingly moved by these events.

“Seven years ago the Government of Canada apologized for this abhorrent system. The apology is no less true, and no less timely, today. The Government of Canada ‘sincerely apologizes and asks forgiveness of the Aboriginal peoples of this country for failing them so profoundly’.

“Today, on behalf of the Government of Canada, I have the honour of accepting the Commission’s Final Report. It is my deepest hope that this report and its findings will help heal some of the pain caused by the Indian residential school system and begin to restore the trust lost so long ago.

“To the former Indian residential school students who came forward and shared your painful stories, I say: thank you for your extraordinary bravery and for your willingness to help Canadians understand what happened to you. As the previous government expressed so eloquently in its formal apology: your courage ‘is a testament to [your] resilience as individuals and to the strength of [your] cultures...The burden of this experience has been on your shoulders for far too long. The burden is properly ours as a government, and as a country’.

“Moving forward, one of our goals is to help lift this burden from your shoulders, from those of your families, and from your communities. It is to accept fully our responsibilities – and our failings – as a government and as a nation.

“This is a time of real and positive change. We know what is needed is a total renewal of the relationship between Canada and Indigenous peoples. We have a plan to move towards a nation-to-nation relationship based on recognition, rights, respect, cooperation and partnership, and we are already making it happen.

“A national inquiry into missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls is now underway. Ministers are meeting with survivors, families, and loved ones to seek their input on how best to move forward. We have also reiterated our commitments to make significant investments in First Nations education, and to lift the two per cent cap on funding for First Nations programs.

“And we will, in partnership with Indigenous communities, the provinces, territories, and other vital partners, fully implement the Calls to Action of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, starting with the implementation of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.

“We recognize that true reconciliation goes beyond the scope of the Commission’s recommendations. I am therefore announcing that we will work with leaders of First Nations, Métis Nation, Inuit, provinces and territories, parties to the Indian Residential School Settlement Agreement, and other key partners, to design a national engagement strategy for developing and implementing a national reconciliation framework, informed by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s recommendations.

“The Government of Canada is committed to walking a path of partnership and friendship with Indigenous peoples. Today’s Final Report marks a true milestone on that journey. Again I thank the survivors, their families, and communities for this monumental achievement towards healing and reconciliation. I also thank Commission Chair Justice Murray Sinclair, and Commissioners Chief Wilton Littlechild and Dr. Marie Wilson who worked tirelessly to bring to light the truth about residential schools in Canada.”

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FINAL REPORT OF THE TRUTH AND RECONCILIATION COMMISSION OF CANADA

Ottawa, Ontario15 December 2015Implementation of the Indian Residential Schools Settlement Agreement, the largest class-action settlement in Canadian history, began in 2007. The agreement includes individual and collective elements to address the sad and terrible legacy of Indian Residential Schools.

One of these elements is the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada (TRC). The official mandate of the TRC is found in Schedule "N" of the Settlement Agreement which includes the principles that guided the Commission in its important work. The TRC provided those individuals directly or indirectly affected by the legacy of the Indian Residential School system with an opportunity to share their stories and/or experiences.

The Commission hosted seven national events across Canada, as well as a Closing Event in Ottawa, with the goals of hearing from former students, engaging the Canadian public, providing education about the history and legacy of the residential schools system, and sharing and honouring the experiences of former students and their families.

At the Closing Event in June 2015, the TRC released its Executive Summary, which included its findings and 94 Calls to Action aimed at redressing the legacy of residential schools and advancing the process of reconciliation in Canada.

During the TRC’s final event on December 15, 2015, the Prime Minister reiterated the Government of Canada’s commitment to work in partnership with Indigenous communities, the provinces, territories and other vital partners, to fully implement recommendations of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, starting with the implementation of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.

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(Ottawa, ON) – On the second year anniversary of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s (TRC) Calls to Action, Assembly of First Nations (AFN) National Chief Perry Bellegarde today said the work of reconciliation must accelerate.

“The past two years has seen a great response from all levels of government and from Canadians who have embraced reconciliation, but change is not happening fast enough,” said National Chief Bellegarde. “We are still too far from completing these very important Calls to Action. The socio-economic gap between First Nations and Canadians remains vast. We must work more quickly, because too many First Nations remain without clean drinking water and adequate housing, and too many of our children are taken and poorly served by discriminatory child welfare systems.”

The National Chief added, “The framework needed has been clearly identified by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission and promised by the Government of Canada. That is the implementation of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. That is our framework for change. Canada’s commitment to work with us to co-develop an Indigenous Languages Act to revitalize and preserve the original languages of this land is an important measure of progress. We need to do the same on implementation of the UN Declaration. It’s work that should not wait.”

On June 2, 2015 the TRC released 94 “calls to action” on priorities for action, including child welfare, justice, education health and the call for an MMIW Inquiry. The full final report was released December 15, 2015 and completed the work of the TRC which was mandated in the Indian Residential School Settlement Agreement of 2007. The findings followed six years of hearing testimony from more than 7,000 former residential school students from across the country.

The AFN is a party to the Indian Residential Schools Settlement Agreement that led to the creation of the TRC. The federal government has committed to working with First Nations and Indigenous peoples to implement the Calls to Action. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has stated that true reconciliation goes beyond the scope of the Calls to Action and has pledged to work with First Nations, Indigenous leaders, provinces and territories and all key parties to design a national engagement strategy for developing and implementing a national reconciliation framework, informed by the TRC’s recommendations.

The AFN is the national organization representing First Nations citizens in Canada. Follow AFN on Twitter @AFN_Updates.